French Couple Detained in Portugal Over Abandonment of Two Young Boys
A Portuguese court has ordered the continued detention of a French woman, Marine R, and her partner, Marc B, who are accused of abandoning her two young sons on a roadside. The boys, aged four and five, were discovered crying beside a road near Alcacer do Sal, approximately 100km south of Lisbon, on Tuesday evening.
The couple was apprehended in Fatima on Thursday. During their appearance at the Setubal courthouse on Saturday morning, Marc B reportedly shouted “I love you” in French, while Marine R sang. A judge subsequently ruled for their pre-trial detention, with charges including aggravated assault, endangerment, and abandonment of the children.
Authorities informed the court that the boys had been living with their 41-year-old mother in Colmar, France, where their father held limited, supervised visitation rights. The children were reported missing by their father on 11 May, which led to the issuance of a European arrest warrant for the mother and children.
One of the boys reportedly told the motorist who found them that they had been blindfolded, instructed to search for a hidden toy, and upon removing their blindfolds, their mother had vanished. Investigators noted that the couple appeared to have no prior connection to Portugal.
Marine R's LinkedIn profile identifies her as a sexologist, while her 55-year-old partner, Marc B, is a former French gendarmerie officer who retired in 2010. Local reports indicate the couple were heard shouting at each other from separate cells.
